Ezekiel 17:1-24 Cost of Promises
God shares a parable with Ezekiel about two eagles and a vine. The vine breaks its allegiance with the first eagle. The cost of promises broken is God’s focus today.
I will admit to trying to figure out this parable on my own, or for myself initially. I’m SO grateful that God takes the time to explain it to us! I was getting caught up in wondering who the two eagles were supposed to represent. The vine was pretty easy to figure out.
Did Ezekiel go out to the people and share this proverb? Did he share the interpretation right away or did he leave them to ponder the point for a while? Did they have time to ask him for the interpretation? Or did they even try figuring it out on their own?
This parable is surely speaking of King Zedekiah. He is the one that Nebuchadnezzar put in the place of Jehoiachin when he carried him off into exile. Both Jehoiakim and Zedekiah made agreements with those in power to serve them. BOTH broke their promise and rebelled against those they swore to serve. King Zedekiah actually made an agreement with Nebuchadnezzar and swore BY ISRAEL’S GOD that he would faithfully serve Babylon.
How long would Judah and Jerusalem have been left alone if their kings had lived up to their word? God told Ezekiel that the covenant made between Zedekiah and Nebuchadnezzar was His doing. It was supposed to be based on His name. I wonder if Zedekiah gave any thought to that fact when he decided he was tired of Nebuchadnezzar ruling over him.
Instead of asking for a ‘new deal’ or negotiating new terms, Zedekiah tried to bring Egypt in to help fight his battle against Nebuchadnezzar. Egypt was the one place God told His people to NEVER return to. This wasn’t the first dealings with Egypt that Israel or Judah conducted. In fact, King Jehoahaz was taken by Pharaoh Neco and Jehoiakim, who the Pharoah put in his place, swore allegiance to Egypt.
God made it impossible for Egypt to come to the rescue of King Zedekiah. He would have to learn the HARD way that promises mean something. It took three YEARS of Nebuchadnezzar besieging the city of Jerusalem before it finally fell. Nebuchadnezzar was NOT going to let Judah off with another warning. Their word could not be trusted.
I remember coming across the phrase in David’s story about it being the ‘time when kings go off to war’. I don’t believe that Nebuchadnezzar waited for the right time or withdrew in the ‘not the right time’. He was determined to see Judah pay for their betrayal. But it wouldn’t be the regular people who paid the highest cost. The people were captured and deported. They were treated as slaves by their captors but I don’t see evidence of abuse. But King Zedekiah received torture. He had to watch as his whole family was put to death and then his eyes were put out. His betrayal, and attempt to escape while his people were captured, earned him the harshest punishment. Nebuchadnezzar wouldn’t stop until Zedekiah had paid in full for his breach of promise.
We are supposed to be careful of the promises that we enter into, be they formal or personal. There is a price to be paid for broken promises. And when you make a promise to God, it SURELY counts! There are important steps to be considered when making a promise.
- Is this a promise you should even be making? When you make a promise, you are binding yourself to deliver a product or service for another’s product or service.
- Is it worth it? What is the real cost of the promise? What do you give up in order to gains something else? What do you lose if the promise is broken? Who ‘pays’ the cost for a broken promise
- Is this a ‘want’ or a ‘need’. Do you REALLY NEED this item/service you are bargaining for or is it simply a need.
- Who is the promise between? Do I trust the other person to keep their side of the arrangement? Whose reputation is it built upon? What happens to the reputation if the promise is broken?
Considering these things BEFORE entering into a promise can help us avoid some difficult, damaging, or dangerous promises. It can also highlight the promises that are necessary for our lives. I can just about guarantee that we will each break at least one promise in our lifetime. How we respond when we do shows our character. Do we own up to our shortcomings? Do we try and find another way to make it right? Do we blame the other person? Do we pretend we never made the promise in the first place.
Jesus teaches us not to get into the kinds of promise that requires an “oath.” A promise that imposes trouble if you break it. He KNOWS man and knows our faults. We cannot control everything so don’t swear by what you have no control over. Simply keep your word. If you say you will do something, DO IT. If you say you will not do something, DON’T DO IT. Let your own word be your guarantee.
God’s word is His bond. He will NEVER break or leave unfulfilled His promises. Their timing and exact method may not look like what we wanted. We may interpret His promises through our own bias or experiences and may be disappointed if we find they didn’t match up with our expectations. But that DOES NOT mean that He broke His promise. He is the Creator of ALL there is! His words formed it all and His words hold it together still. Trust ALL of His promises and trust Him to know and to show you the meaning behind them.
Father God, I HATE breaking promises but I know I have done it on more than one occasion. Forgive me Father. Help me to let go of the hurts regarding promises that were made to me and later broken. Help me to ‘mend the fences’ when I cause hurt or harm through broken promises. More than anything though, let my “yes” ALWAYS be “yes” and my “no” ALWAYS be “no.” And help me KNOW when to use each!
